I don't want to meet the people that call Home...home.

I remember reading the NeoGAF thread when Home was originally unveiled.  People were losing their shit declaring "SONY IS BACK" "SONY HAS WON THIS GENERATION".  It's very amusing to go back and read now if you can find it.  (GDC 2008 I think it was). 
 
That said, I do find it fascinating that it has attracted a dedicated hardcore following and is making money.  I'm not tempted to try it though as it's not really my cup of tea even if it were ultra popular.

It's just another one of those micro-communities of people out there that feel this is the place, as it were, where they can feel comfortable. We all use video games, books, movies, music or whatever as a form of escapism. Some people just take it in a different direction, and get way more wrapped up in it.

A very similar community popped up in The Sims Online, and whatever strange EA advertisement shill that turned into. Always accessable and persistent imaginary living spaces are the key. That goes without saying Second Life, and all those wild 'virtual' web spaces that popped up in the late 90's. We can't forget There! I'm sure there's plenty that most people have no idea about, and I'm sure the people in their community appreciate that we have no idea they exist.

Right or wrong, this was happening before the rise of internet ecosystems in BBSs, MUDs, role-play chat rooms, or MMOs. A good early example would be Dungeons and Dragons. It was for so many lonely nerds, a way to discover that they were truly not alone. They had their own license to create not only their own private ecosystem of friends, revolving around the same interests, but share in whatever fantastical situations they could dream up. Little nerd communities had their own private worlds to disappear into for years.

Home is not exceptional. It's just as bewildering and crazy to the outside observer as the rest of the internet's passionate micro-communities.

Speaking from my experience, I used to think that tabletop RPG's and wargames were the most absolutely bullshit thing ever, until I gave them a chance. Comics were the same way really. For me, they're really more of passive experiences, but I do truly appreciate their sub-cultures as being unique, and worth the time to those who enjoy them.

@qxz86 said:

Why is this article so littered with typos?

Because content quickly.

Haven't you noticed the same thing on many newssites? It's a cryin' shame but it happens all over the place.

Home really isn't relevant to someone like me, but its still interesting to know about those that do get some use out of it and how this environment is tackled.

a 59-year-old member of Home and founder of the Grey Gamers, a group catering to Home's oldest crowd

I'm all for people gaming into later life but this + Home = creepy...

I need a video tour of Home from Patrick and Jeff and Vinny. That seems like the right cast for this.

They need to make Home like the internet in futurama.

Shut up and take my money.

@whatisdelicious: A home QuickLook would be pretty amazing actually.

It's just amazing to think that, if you create a virtual space with some toys, traveling and communication functions, it will blossom with virtual life.  At the same time, it's a little sad to think how so many people rely software like Home because they cannot bring themselves to communicate with others in the real world.

@Ghost_Cat said:

It's just amazing to think that, if you create a virtual space with some toys, traveling and communication functions, it will blossom with virtual life.  At the same time, it's a little sad to think how so many people rely software like Home because they cannot bring themselves to communicate with others in the real world.

Why is it sad, exactly?  Is it sad because they go about their business differently than you do?    Great article, I love these interesting pieces Patrick has been putting out.

Looking forward to the rest of the articles. As a marketing major Home amazes me.

Second Life for people that hate fun

@Aeterna said:

@qxz86 said:

Why is this article so littered with typos?

Because content quickly.

Haven't you noticed the same thing on many newssites? It's a cryin' shame but it happens all over the place.

The other whiskey sites are much worse.

we need a quick look of Home stat! 

I actually like Home, even though I'm only a casual user. I hope it becomes more successful. There is potential there. It would be rather cool to see some MMORPG-like quests in the environment. Maybe add an area where people can become warriors, cops, villains, etc. Era-specific stuff, like being transported to the 1800s area to do specific stuff that will net you items from that era to put in your home space as trophy. 
 
There's much that can be done. I just hope it sticks around because its existence can only be beneficial, especially if it causes some other system to do a better job at it.

@whitesox said:

@Ghost_Cat said:

It's just amazing to think that, if you create a virtual space with some toys, traveling and communication functions, it will blossom with virtual life.  At the same time, it's a little sad to think how so many people rely software like Home because they cannot bring themselves to communicate with others in the real world.

Why is it sad, exactly?  Is it sad because they go about their business differently than you do?    Great article, I love these interesting pieces Patrick has been putting out.

Looks like a Second Life rip-off to me & not really a game. If you need social interaction, probably it's better to get out of the house & do it instead of being lazy & being online.

I actually like Home, even though I'm only a casual user. I hope it becomes more successful. There is potential there. It would be rather cool to see some MMORPG-like quests in the environment. Maybe add an area where people can become warriors, cops, villains, etc. Era-specific stuff, like being transported to the 1800s area to do specific stuff that will net you items from that era to put in your home space as trophy.  There's much that can be done. I just hope it sticks around because its existence can only be beneficial, especially if it causes some other system to do a better job at it.

@qxz86 said:

Why is this article so littered with typos?

Nice first post

I liked Home back when it was called The Sierra Network. Back then it had some charm to it.

Home is one of those things that's fun to check out for a few minutes when you're bored, and then realize you can go back to playing your assassin's creed.

For me Home has always been the "check it out for an hour every like 6 months" type of experience. I'm just glad that PixelJunk Shooter had some home items because now I have a survivor helmet and don't have to see my avatars creepy eyeballs ever again =D

Also I got to sit in the Star Wars cantina and listen to Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, that was definitely a plus XD

Also in an unrelated note, double checking my spelling on Figrin D'an I discovered that he is a "Jizz Musician"...god damn it Lucas >.<

Bizarre never got it always found it boring

@nickystixx said:

we need a quick look of Home stat!

Did someone say Endurance Run??

home is neat but it isnt for me.

@dvorak said:

Well shit Dvorak, you've said pretty much what I thought after reading this piece.

"...Always accessable and persistent imaginary living spaces are the key. That goes without saying Second Life, and all those wild 'virtual' web spaces that popped up in the late 90's..."

Beyond the 90's, plenty of 2000's virtual worlds still exist in pretty much the same capacity. I think another key aspect that keeps the community driving is the "sandbox". Some 3D Social MMO's still exist because of that feature. Outside of Second Life there is (off the top of my head) Planeshift, Saga of Ryzom, A Tale In The Desert and Myst Online: Uru Live. Just wanted to add that to you're two keys.

Home is not exceptional. It's just as bewildering and crazy to the outside observer as the rest of the internet's passionate micro-communities.

I think what makes home a bit unique (yeah not exceptional) is how Home has shaped given the advertising ventures that go on, and that is only on a console. Thats probably what fascinates people to write about it.

Speaking from my experience, I used to think that tabletop RPG's and wargames were the most absolutely bullshit thing ever, until I gave them a chance. Comics were the same way really. For me, they're really more of passive experiences, but I do truly appreciate their sub-cultures as being unique, and worth the time to those who enjoy them.

I was the same way about role playing groups and tabletop stuff like DnD. I got miniatures, and war-games. But could not wrap my head around the roleplaying stuff. Why would people want to play imaginary games? I get it now (don't enjoy it myself) but I don't dismiss them as whacks for playing the games they want.

@patrickklepek said:

@Kesselrun said:

None of the interactions between this "community" are any different (or more significant) from what has been going on in chatrooms and MMOs for years. A guy that writes for a Home magazine and a guy that creates and sells content on the platform have every reason to talk up the platform. Second Life was also idealized for years in the press, presented as something very different from what actually went on in the game. It's good that people can find others to chat up and have fun with, but you can poke around and find equally large and active communities in all sorts of games. I'm not sure why things like Home are viewed as different or more human-centric when they are almost purely about advertising and cash shops.

They're not, it's the perception that Home failed. It didn't. It just didn't become a phenomenon, but there are large groups of people that feel Home is very important to them.

Ok I think I understand way more now, about why you would write about Home. There is actually a big perception around it. The topic gets tossed around and is more relevant than the hundreds of other virtual communities still kicking it on the PC. As a console mmorpg it is probably the most talked about outside of maybe Phantasy Star Online. No one talks about Everquest Online Adventures or Free Realms for damn sure.

All this reflection on online social games makes me remember the mmorpg SEED. Now that was something. It really had the best recipe for what I always imagined a socially driven mmorpg to be. Soon politics will be as normal as the virtual economy and role playing bits in your mmo.

Patrick seems to like to be politically correct. But let's face facts: if you're substituting the real world with any virtual world, then you've got real problems from which you're running away. 
 
Also, Patrick said: "Imagine what it's like when your favorite place on the internet disappears...." So what? Move on. Life isn't about entertainment and the internet. And if it is for you, then find a new way for yourself. Is it a full life to just be entertained and then you die?

@Christoffer said:

That Thoreau quote proves we should all stop using famous quotes as arguments. It's quite good but doesn't fit at all in this context. Is it any better that we go to our graves having pretended to be who we always wanted to be?

But I don't want to dismiss the whole community. As far as I know, Home is far greater than any game in the social aspect, so the joke's on me I guess.

This article was a great read. I only knew Home as a... home... for idiots and griefers and this humanizes them a whole lot. Maybe you could do something similar about the simulator community (Trainz, Farming Simulator, Ship Simulators Extremes etc.). I need to know what the hell is up with that.

I can understand how people would enjoy Railworks if they are a big fan of trains and railroad ephemera. It’s not like there are a lot of opportunities for a passionate train guy to actually drive a train, much less single-handedly. The thing I can't get though is how someone who wrings so much enjoyment out of Railworks, and can justify purchasing the literally thousands dollars of extra train and railroad DLC that exists on Steam. It's not that I have a problem with people ‘wasting’ their money on stuff like that, because personally speaking I've spent even more money of tons of stuff that would make me look like just as much a total nerd.

There is truly a whole world out there though, related to very specific sim games that very few even know exists. I'd really enjoy understanding what it is that drives the hardcore sim communities. That is, if “communities” even truly exist. They are almost the opposite of social sims like Home. Most of the time spent in these industry simulations are entirely solitary.

Trains and large machines are inherently interesting due to their complicated manufacture and processes. But how large the intersect could possibly be, between the hardcore train enthusiast and hardcore PC gamers?

I've always felt that the money invested in developing Home could have been used to make PSN competitive with Xbox Live.

Great article, though think that I'll never quite fully understand the mentality of PS Home fans or why it's still perpetually in Beta.

"The beating heart of Home isn't its gaming experiences--and it never will be.  

And that right there singles out the biggest issue of Home with people that "game." The lack of gaming going on in what you described it aptly: A game consoles virtual chatroom.
 
While, that may be fine for 59-year-old "gamers," that isn't going to draw in Joe CallofDooty. And that's why most people consider Home a "failure."

I still remember getting into the beta and finding Jeff within minutes of playing purely by chance. Sadly, I was with one of my friends and I felt like it'd be a huge dick move if I abandoned him for a celebrity only I knew about. "Dude, it's Jeff from Giant Bomb! See ya, man!" "Whoa, wait, what? Who the fuck is Jeff? And what's Giant Bomb?"

I appreciate more long form articles like this.

Great story P-dog.

Never been to home, ever. Am i happy? perhaps

I love these articles, keep it up Patrick, genuinely interesting to learn more about.

Great article Klepek, still cant believe that its still in beta. I wish we had something like the Metaverse from Snow Crash  

Great article Patrick.

Thanks for being awesome.

I actually like the graphics of Home. The character editor makes it possible to create a frighteningly familiar facsimile of myself (this tends to be the case in a lot of editors, I don't know why), and some stuff, like watching game trailers and stuff with other people seemed like a good idea. On the whole, though, I find it pretty listless, seems strangely empty even with people there. Guess that's why it's no longer taking up space on my 80gb ps3.

Meh I'd rather play DCUO for "My Home"

Excellent story. I completely forgot home even existed.

Home isn't a game, Giant Bomb shouldn't be reporting on it any more than they report on stuff like Second Life.

Personally i love home. I think there is so much that can be done with it. But when i first joined home, a moderator told me home was a G rated space, even sony employees say the same. what pisses me off is, even though its supposed to be G rated, sony turns right around and makes extremely questionable clothes up for grabs for anyone that has money or a psn card.Wow sony, what happened? Next that really got me, there are hardly any mods on home any more. So trolls and pervs and bashing fams and groups are allowed to go rampid. This is when i stopped buying items on home. yes i love it, but the ones in charge of home need to step in and up their game. Also for the cutters ridge private space, it make no sense to take the games away from it where people have spent their hard earned money on it. Sony has told me before, when you buy something on home, then it is yours forever. If thats the case, either give me back my stuff or give me a refund.

^

Nice first post

I've had a Playstation 3 for 4 years and never once used Home... because it's dumb.